The Winding Path
by Demon of Cats
Summary: Tarra was new to Karakura when tragedy strikes her and she must be brought to Soul Society. But things are not all they appear to be with this young woman, as Byakuya soon discovers. Byakuya/OC Rated for lemon, see chapters for their respective warnings. NOTE: sorry for not changing the complete sign. It has been complete for a while.
1. May Death Take You

The Winding Path

Chapter 1

May Death Take You

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

Note: This starts a few months after the Lady of the lake tells Byakuya what Hisana wanted.

It had been a while since her body had cooled. It had taken several weeks for anyone to find her, and even then it had been because people had noticed a smell. She had watched as they investigated the scene of the crime, but then she had also watched as her body had started to slowly deteriorate.

She hoped her killers would face justice, but by now she didn't have a lot of hope. It had degraded slowly, as she watched her body slowly rot and fester.

When the investigation was over she didn't leave the house she had died in, she was afraid to.

If anyone could see her, they would laugh.

She was dressed as she was when she was murdered, in nothing. Not even a pair of underwear or a single piece of simple jewelry.

Most of her days were spent in the room of her death, sitting in the fetal position in a corner with the bed blocking the side not blocked by the wall.

From time to time she would look out the window, and notice that there was still crime tape on the house.

Also from time to time a man in black samurai attire would enter the room. He had a sword as well and the woman feared what he might do to her.

So she hid in a way that only she could, she couldn't be seen or touched. She didn't know how she did what she did. She just knew that it happened if she wanted to not be found.

The day that the crime scene tape went down, a woman in samurai attire and a white long sleeved haori came in through the window. Her eyes were gentle and her long black hair was braided in front of her neck.

"Hello," she called as she walked into the room, "I will do you no harm. My name is Retsu Zaraki, it is a pleasure to meet you."

For a long moment the woman debated on whether or not to give her name then, "My name is Tarra. Tarra Burns."

"You have hidden quite well from those that were sent to bring you to the other side," Retsu said and then moved to the end of the bed.

"I will hide from you as well if you continue towards me with that katana," Tarra warned as she backed further into the corner.

Retsu nodded and then placed her zanpaku-tô on a nearby dresser, she then knelt down a few yards from Tarra and observed her.

She observed the graceful structure of the young woman's face, and how her medium length hair fell loosely around her face. This caused her to look like there were dark violet feathers, almost black, framing her features, though only the tips were of that color, the rest was a silvery color that could nearly be white.

She observed two tattoos, one on each shoulder, of Chinese style dragons one violet, on the right shoulder, and the other yellow, on the left. Each dragon twined around Tarra's arms with the tails ending at the elbows.

Retsu noticed how Tarra had positioned herself in the room, and what it said about her mental state.

She also noticed one other thing, "What happened to the chain that was attached to your chest?"

"Chain? There was never a chain attached to my chest," Tarra argued, "I died and was thrown out of my body."

Retsu remained calm at this and then spoke, "You need to go to the other side. I have a way to send you over, but it requires me to have my katana."

"If it comes unsheathed then I will disappear again," Tarra said as she watched Retsu stand.

Tarra watched at Retsu grabbed up her zanpaku-tô and then felt the end of the hilt bump softly into her forehead. She blinked for a moment and then lifted her eyebrows up at Retsu.

"Was that supposed to do something?"

Retsu blinked a few times and then placed her zanpaku-tô back on the dresser before pulling out what looked like a cell phone. She dialed a number and waited for a moment before speaking, "Hello Urahara, we appear to have a problem."

End Chapter 1


	2. Suddenly Room Mates

Chapter 2

Suddenly Room Mates

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

Tarra watched as Retsu spoke on her cell phone for several long minutes and then watched her kneel at the end of the bed again.

For over an hour neither spoke, then another woman entered the room. She had long dark purple hair tied back in a braid. For a long moment she just remained at the window, then walked to Retsu and knelt down next to her.

"My name is Nemu Kurotsuchi. It is a pleasure to meet you. May I offer you a robe?"

Tarra cocked her head and then watched as Nemu pulled out, from a bag she had been carrying on her shoulder, a long white robe with sleeves that ended just before the elbow. She placed the clothing item on the ground in front of Tarra and then backed away slightly, to make Tarra more secure with coming forward.

Tarra watched the robe for a long moment and then, "Both of you turn around."

Both Nemu and Retsu obliged and then turned around. For a long moment Tarra remained still and then she leaned forward and took the garment into her hands. She ran her fingers over the fabric, feeling the soft silken texture slide between her fingers. Carefully she placed it around herself, pulling the fabric around her exposed body.

After a few moments she tied the sash around her waist then let Retsu and Nemu know they could turn around.

"You're not going to be alone here any longer either," Nemu said, "There's going to be someone from soul society renting out this house to keep an eye on you."

"Do you know who?" Retsu asked.

"Captain Kuchiki was chosen, Captain Kenpachi," Nemu said, "He should be here and moving in within the next few hours."

"He?" Tarra suddenly asked, "A man is going to be the one that keeps an eye on me?"

"He will not enter this room unless he absolutely has to," Nemu said, "He was told not to do so. He might try to speak with you through the door though."

"Like now," the cool voice of Byakuya spoke through the door, "And your time table is a little off Lieutenant Kurotsuchi."

"My apologies Captain Kuchiki," Nemu said and then slowly stood, "I should be going now, I have many duties to attend to."

"Of course Nemu," Retsu said and then stood herself, "Miss Burns. Do you mind if I give you a quick exam?"

"If I say I do mind?"

"I will leave it at that."

Tarra remained quiet for a moment and then said, "What will the exam entitle?"

Unohana explained what would happen during the exam. She spoke gently, telling Tarra about the different procedures she would use.

After Retsu finished explaining the exam to Tarra, she paused and waited for a reaction.

Tarra seemed to retreat into herself after Retsu finished speaking. She turned away from the gentle healer for a long time, and then she stood up slowly and nodded.

Retsu walked forward slowly and then began to do a basic medical exam on Tarra. She went slowly, judging Tarra's movements and reactions so as not to over stress the young woman.

The exam took a little over two hours, twice as long as what it would normally take. Retsu had often stopped to allow Tarra a little time to relax and calm down, so that she wouldn't have a mental breakdown while receiving a health screening.

"Is everything in order?" Tarra asked after Retsu finished the exam.

"Yes," Retsu said and placed a few items back into her bag, "You seem to be in good health despite the fact that you are dead."

This provoked a small smile from Tarra.

"If you would like I will come check on you again in a few days," Retsu said as she pulled back, "For now, though, I have to leave."

"If you get the chance to, yes," Tarra mumbled, "But don't . . . don't force yourself. If you don't have enough time in the day . . ."

"Don't worry about me," Retsu said, "I will come when I have time."

Tarra nodded and then watched as Retsu left through the window. She remained quiet for a while and then noticed movement outside her room in the hallway. She knew of the other man that was staying with her now, and it made her nervous.

She didn't know if he was a man of his word or not, so she would have to watch him, discreetly of course.

She then heard a clang from the room adjacent to her own. This was followed by several more clangs in close intervals.

So, Tarra stuck her head through the wall to see what the sound was, as her curiosity got the better of her.

What she saw was Byakuya working out. He had his shirt off and Tarra could see the well defined muscles working beneath the skin. His long black hair was tied back, out of the way, and he had his eyes closed as he lifted the weights through the pulley systems.

Sweat was just beginning to appear on his forehead and chest. He was currently working on his biceps, but his legs were not idle either. He had them lifting weight as well, in time with his arms. When one set of weights reached its peak the other was at the base.

Then he let both weights down, opened his eyes and noticed her as he changed work outs.

A single fine eyebrow lifted and he said, "Enjoying the view?"

Tarra blushed and pulled back through the wall.

She remained in her room the rest of the evening. Though, there was one thought on her mind, _he is hot._

End Chapter 2


	3. Gaining Trust

Chapter 3

Gaining Trust

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

Byakuya was, to say the least, amused by his current predicament.

To say the most he was pissed off.

This was the job of a lowly recruit, not a distinguished Captain and noble. He was angry about that but he wouldn't allow the young woman he was protecting to see.

He had quickly learned that he didn't quite belong in the kitchen. There were some simple dishes, like salads and one ingredient dishes that required no cooking, that he could make. If he wanted anything more complicated he would have to call for takeout.

Tarra had spoken with him for a little while through the wall. She never spoke for long though, she was too nervous to talk for long.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

After a month of speaking through the wall, Byakuya felt that he was no further in gaining Tarra's trust than he had been when he first arrived.

He was in the kitchen wondering whether or not he should order takeout again or just make something simple, when Tarra poked her head in.

"What are you doing?"

"Thinking about what to eat for dinner."

"You can't cook?"

"Not really . . ."

"What were your plans?"

Byakuya glanced at her for a long moment before speaking, "None of your business."

"Ordering take out again?"

Byakuya remained silent.

"I could help you cook something."

Byakuya turned to stare at her.

"I can cook."

"I believe you . . . how do you plan to help me to cook?"

"I could give you instructions."

A single fine eyebrow lifted up on Byakuya's brow before he opened the refrigerator to show her what was in it.

Tarra could swear she heard a cricket chirp when the fridge was opened.

It was empty, except for a gallon of milk and a few things that Byakuya liked to snack on that needed to remain cold.

"You're going to have to shop for groceries first," Tarra said and then glanced at him again, "What do you want for dinner?"

Byakuya named a dish and she paused in thought for a moment before asking him to write a few things down. He obliged, figuring that this would be better than having takeout again. He then went and shopped for the ingredients that Tarra had asked for.

When he returned she was still in the kitchen, surveying what was there. He eyed her curves with his decidedly male eyes, and appreciated the fact that the robe Nemu had given her cut off at just above the knees.

"So is the fact that you are out of your room now a sign that you trust me a little more?" Byakuya asked as he walked into the kitchen and put down what he had just purchased.

Tarra jumped when he spoke, but at the end of his question she did smile ever so slightly, "Perhaps. But, the main reason I'm down here is because you have proven yourself to be a man of your word. You haven't once entered my room since arriving, and the fact that you have kept to your word tells me a lot about you."

Byakuya smiled slightly and then began to unpack the groceries. He'd gotten some extra, which Tarra hadn't asked for, for his own use. It included some tea, and a few fruit and vegetables that he enjoyed.

Tarra noticed this and she made suggestions on how to store the vegetables and fruit. She then helped him to prepare the meal he had asked for.

All the while she remained semi-close to him. She wasn't distant from him, but she was always just out of his reach. She spoke with him, and helped him as best she could.

In the end he ended up with a decent plate of food that he had made with his own two hands.

Byakuya was rather proud of himself.

Tarra simply smiled at him, though she still kept her distance.

For the month and a half they fell into that routine, he would do whatever he did during the day (Mostly fighting hollows) and at the end of the day she would help him make himself dinner.

Over that month and a half, they got closer as she taught him to cook.

Eventually, she ended up in his arms as she taught him. His face would be buried in her shoulder, and when nothing was being prepared, his hands were on her hips, holding her gently to him.

It was during one of those times, she leaned back into him. She allowed his arms to wrap around her.

Their faces turned toward each other and their lips made contact for a single moment. For a long moment they pulled apart, then she turned toward him and their lips touched again. Her arms wrapped around his neck. His arms wrapped around her waist.

In that single moment, their hearts became entwined.

End Chapter 3


	4. Familial Relations

Chapter 4

Familial Relations

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

They had been in that house together for a little over three months when out of the blue, Arthur arrived. He arrived with Merlin as his only companion.

Tarra instantly hid behind Byakuya.

"So," Arthur said as he walked in, "I hear that when you died you didn't have a chain attached to your chest."

"I didn't," Tarra squeaked from behind Byakuya as she peeked out from behind him. Byakuya simply smiled at her and took her hand in his before gently pulling her out from behind him and holding her in his arms in front of him in a protective embrace.

Arthur gave a knowing smile and then remembered his manners, "So rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Sir Arthur Pendragon. I am the Head General of the European Soul Society."

"I am known as Merlin."

Tarra blinked or several moments and then looked at Byakuya then back at Arthur in confusion, "Do you mean to say that you are THE Sir Arthur Pendragon? As in the Knights of the Round Table?"

Arthur blinked at Tarra for a long moment and then turned to Merlin, "What is it with Karakura town and young kids knowing about me?"

Merlin just chuckled.

"You are?"

Arthur turned back to Tarra again and nodded, "Yes I am who you asked if I was."

Byakuya's face remained the same while Tarra seemed to relax a little bit.

"Back to the importance of you not having a chain attached to your chest," Arthur said, "The importance comes into play because a normal soul, upon dying, has a chain attached to their chest over their heart. This soul is known as a whole and the chain is known as the chain of fate. As time passes and the chain becomes shorter and shorter, eventually the area where the chain was attached breaks away to form a hole. This hole is the absence of the heart, and the whole evaporates and reforms in another form to become a hollow. Are you following me thus far?"

Tarra nodded slowly touching her chest in worry.

"Not to worry," Arthur eased, "The absence of the chain upon exiting your body has a meaning as well. It means that-"

At that moment there was a knock at the front door. Arthur lifted one eyebrow and then glanced at Byakuya, knowing that he was the current "resident" of the home.

Byakuya quickly headed for the front door and answered it to meet up with a silver haired man and woman who both looked to be in their 50s at least. They were flanked by a young man and a young woman. The young man looked to be around 30 and the young woman looked much younger, just a teenager at the appearance of 16. Boy and girl also had silver hair, though the girl had her hair striped with a dark blue in the front.

The silver hair in the two men was a darkened color, while on the women it was nearly white.

It was then that the man spoke, "hello there, my name is Victor. Victor Burns. I was wondering if you know anything about the woman in this photograph."

Victor then showed a picture to Byakuya that showed Tarra just a few years younger.

"She is my daughter," Victor continued, "And I was told that she lived here at one point. Do you know where she moved to? Or by chance does she live with you here?"

Byakuya clenched his jaw for a moment, wondering how to best explain this. He decided to just invite them in.

"Come in," Byakuya said, "It is a little chilly out here and we have a lot to discuss."

Victor seemed to look depressed for a long moment and he looked at the woman on his arm. She also looked a little worried.

Victor then nodded and said, "I have forgotten my manners. This is my wife, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth nodded to Byakuya.

"This is my son John, older brother to the young woman in the picture."

John nodded and gave Byakuya a half baked salute.

Victor then turned to the teenager, "And this is my youngest, Nina."

Nina smiled and nodded to Byakuya.

They then followed Byakuya in and entered the room that the leader of the group had just left.

Victor paused for a fraction of a second when he entered the room, then he went on like nothing was wrong.

A grin suddenly split Arthur's features and he pulled out a wrist band style sweat band and wrapped it around the palm of his hand. It had the same symbol as Rukia's glove from so long ago.

Quite suddenly Victor was thrown from his body, he didn't hit the wall though, because Arthur had a hold of him. He wore a silver suit of European armor without a helmet.

"What the hell!" Tarra suddenly cried out as she hurried back into the room. She then paused as her father's body fell to the ground, and she looked from the Victor on the floor to the Victor that Arthur was placing on his feet, "Dad, what's going on?"

"Was that really necessary General Pendragon?" Victor asked and then walked over to Tarra and hugged her, "I think you might have scared my oldest daughter with that little stunt."

"You were pretending that you couldn't see me," Arthur said.

"How childish of you," Elizabeth suddenly said as she messed with oldest daughter's hair, "How are you doing Tarra?"

Tarra paused and thought about her answer for a long moment before answering, "I'm doing alright, other than the fact that I'm dead."

"MY POOR BABY!" Elizabeth suddenly cried and hugged her daughter close, "What happened?"

Tarra then went quiet and hugged her mother back. She buried her face into her mother's shoulder and began to cry.

"What happened?" John asked as he walked forward to his sister, closely followed by Nina.

"I don't want to talk about it," Tarra whimpered.

"We won't push then," Victor said as he hugged her again, "It is obviously traumatic."

Byakuya remained quiet for a moment and then he asked a question that was now bothering him, "So Tarra is a Shinketsu?"

Elizabeth paused for a long moment and then said, "If you mean a pure blood, then she is from both sides of the family. All of our children are, and all of them have some significant spiritual pressure."

Arthur smiled, "And from two of my former Captains none the less. Where have you two been all this time?"

"The USA," Victor said, "It was the only place we could escape from our parents and actually start our family. You know how our parents were, General, they were so focused on the quarrel that has been going on for the last 1000 years that they couldn't see that the heirs were in love. We wanted the quarrel to end, but we couldn't get the fact through to our families."

Elizabeth then said, "We had to run . . . they were going to arrange a marriage for me to that ass my father works with. He's almost twice my age and father didn't care that I don't love him."

"I was about to get an arranged marriage as well," Victor continued, "To the daughter of another noble family. I love Elizabeth, I want my family to see that, but they refuse."

"You should have come to me," Arthur said, "I could have forced their hands. I'm not a fan of arranged marriage. I would have stopped them."

Tarra then glanced between her parents and then looked at her mother and said, "So you and dad are a Romeo and Juliet with a happier ending."

Victor chuckled slightly before answering, "Except that one of our children died, so I don't call that a 'happy' ending."

"What are you doing here in Japan anyway?" Tarra asked suddenly.

"We're taking a vacation while the movers get our property into place," Victor explained, "We're moving to London."

"That would have instantly tipped me off to your location," Arthur said, "I can always tell when a soul reaper enters Europe. The Lady would sense it and I would through Excalibur."

Victor and Elizabeth looked at each other with matching grins then they said in unison, "That was the plan."

Arthur and Merlin began to laugh.

"Can Tarra come with us to Europe?" Victor asked then, "She can't be stopped by customs now."

Then Arthur sobered, "I'm afraid not. She can't safely leave the jurisdiction of this area's soul society. I was told about a few things that happened to her soul when she died. I was told she was ejected from her body . . . er . . . how to say this?"

"I was in my birthday suit," Tarra said causing a single graceful eyebrow to lift on Byakuya. Her parents turned at her with wide eyes and expressions of mutual horror. Her older brother also had a look of horror on his face, her younger sister just turned bright red.

"Well, I would have said it a little differently," Arthur said with an amused and embarrassed grin on his features, "Well, with a young shinketsu, that means that they weren't fully adjusted to the soul society that they just moved to when they died. It means that they had adjusted but didn't have the chance to allow their possible zanpaku-tô to adjust. After the age of thirty or after the death of all soul reaper parents the zanpaku-tô will permanently stabilize."

Tarra listened for a long moment and then, "So my zanpaku-tô hadn't fully stabilized yet when I died?"

"Correct," Merlin told her, "Because of that you cannot yet leave. If you try, your spirit form will disintegrate, and you will cease to exist. The only way around it, is to stay on the other side here for at least fifty years. After that, if you wish to move, you can move."

Byakuya then called out, "Konso was attempted on Tarra, it failed."

Merlin nodded, "She has to be led to the soul society by both of her parents, since both are alive and both are soul reapers, through the stabilized dangai."

Elizabeth and Victor looked at each other and then down at Tarra.

They then turned to their youngest and said in unison, "Nina you are to listen to John while we are gone. You'll be grounded for a month if we find out you don't."

Nina instantly began to pout.

Arthur just chuckled.

Victor then went over to his body and pulled at a small green pearl on his earring. It popped off quickly and he dropped it into the mouth of his body. Instantly his body sat up with its eyes opened.

Then Elizabeth pulled her necklace out from under her shirt and showed a similar green pearl which she popped off and into her mouth. She instantly was blasted out of her body revealing her soul form.

There was only one way to describe her soul form as well.

She looked like the Greek warrior goddess Athena, in the flesh.

Tarra was suddenly in awe and felt overwhelmed at the same time.

Byakuya began to wonder what the other soul societies were like.

End Chapter 4


	5. New Home

Chapter 5

New Home

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

Going through the Dangai had been an adventure in itself. The walls and floor of the area were creepy and it was dark. She kept moving forward, feeling Byakuya's hand in her own as they ran forward kept her calm and he kept her from falling when she tripped. Her parents were there for her as well, keeping her safe.

Sure she was twenty-five, but it was still nice to have her mom and dad there.

Byakuya and her parents weren't the only ones there, Arthur was also there along with Retsu, who had arrived to give Tarra one more escort from inside the soul society. Together, that group of six made it into the Seireitei.

When they arrived, talks instantly began on where Tarra was going to stay.

Byakuya quickly offered up his home, and after a day Tarra moved into the Kuchiki compound.

Victor and Elizabeth promised to visit from time to time, as they wished to make sure that their daughter was happy.

As she toured the Kuchiki compound with Byakuya her mind kept going back to the last hour they spent in the building that she had breathed her last.

During that time her father had asked her where she hid her books. Tarra had quickly pointed out a loose floorboard in the living room, which Victor quickly pulled up and checked underneath for something that he had been looking for.

He called out in triumph and pulled out a few sketch books of varying sizes and some writing pads with a lot of tabs to mark different areas of whatever she had been writing. He acted like he was going to look into one of the sketch books when Tarra suddenly tried to grab the books from him. He laughed as he caught his daughter in his arms, assuring her that he wouldn't look at her sketches without permission.

Byakuya remembered that last hour as well. It let him know a lot more about Tarra, whom he had come to care for over the last few months.

He wanted her in more ways than one, and he could imagine her as more than just a friend. He hoped she felt the same, but, he didn't want to force the issue with her.

When the tour was finished, Byakuya asked her if she needed anything more. For a little while he watched her as she hugged her books close, then he watched as she smiled at him.

"I have what I need for the moment," Tarra said clearly to him, "I'll let you know if something changes though."

Byakuya nodded and then began to walk away.

"Byakuya?" Tarra called out suddenly, "General Pendragon mentioned that I would start training soon. Do you know when that will start?"

"I'm not sure," Byakuya said, "I don't think that it will start right away though. You need some time to get used to where you are. General Pendragon mentioned that he would let General Yamamoto know how he wanted you trained as well."

Tarra nodded and then she seemed to debate on whether or not to ask another question.

"Would you like a tour of the Seireitei?" Byakuya suddenly asked.

"I would," she said and pulled her books in front of her face to hide the fact that she was blushing so brightly.

Byakuya smiled slightly and took one of her hands into his, "Why not a small tour now? It's a beautiful night."

Tarra smiled and nodded, before quickly placing her books on the desk in her room. She followed him, hand in hand as they headed for the front of the compound. When they reached the front he wrapped a robe around her shoulders to keep the chill away. He also took a robe for himself then they left.

They walked for a while, enjoying the moonlight and the company of the other.

When they returned Tarra had her head on Byakuya's shoulder, while he had his arm around her waist pulling her close to him.

He walked her back to her room and then wished her goodnight. As he began to pull away she called him back and he came forward, back to her side.

The distance was closed for a moment as Tarra kissed Byakuya. Their bodies reacted to one another and they pushed closer to deepen the kiss slightly while the fingers on his right hand twined in her hair. His left hand wrapped around her waist, keeping her close.

As they pulled away both were left breathless, and they were reluctant to pull apart. Byakuya's fingers were still twined in her hair, and he was fighting the urge to close the distance again.

He hadn't felt like this since before Hisana had died.

Tarra was also fighting the urge to move forward, it wasn't a feeling she was used to. She had never needed to fight herself over anything . . .

Both were fighting a losing battle as they leaned closer and their lips touched again.

After another intense kiss Byakuya knew what he wanted, but he didn't want to force her.

"May I have you tonight?" Byakuya asked, opening his eyes to stare into hers.

Here is where Tarra faltered slightly. She cared greatly for him, but she didn't know what his attraction to her was.

She began to shake and he instantly noticed it.

"I can wait," Byakuya soothed, "If you aren't ready for that step yet . . . I can wait. I just wanted to put the option forward. I care for you . . . more than I'm comfortable to admit . . . more than I've cared for anyone in a long time."

Tarra smiled then buried her face into his chest. She felt his arms wrap around her, just there for comfort and not to force her into anything. The shaking eased slowly, and she listened to his heart's strong beat.

"I'm not ready for that step yet," Tarra whispered just loud enough for Byakuya to hear, "Please, don't hold it against me."

"I won't," Byakuya soothed again as he buried his face in her hair and took in her scent, "It wasn't fair of me to even ask. The offer is always open though, for when you are ready."

Tarra smiled, "Thank you."

With one last kiss and a gentle wish to have a good night, they went their separate ways, and to bed.

End Chapter 5


	6. Training With The Captains

Chapter 6

Training With the Captains

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

Tarra had never considered herself a strong woman. She was a normal, everyday, no better than average, woman.

Now she was to train with a Captain once every day for a year, starting with Yamamoto and going through the Captains through thirteen and then the kidô corps. Every five days she was to have a rest day as well, to allow her mind to comprehend everything that she had learned and her body the chance to recover.

This was per Arthur's orders, and these orders scared the crap out of her.

She knew how powerful Yamamoto was.

Sure, she had some basic self defense training, but that would do little against any of the Captains here.

Byakuya helped her get to Squad One, assuring her that no one would hurt her while she was there. His gentle assurances helped her to remain calm for the rest of the day.

When they reached there a female squad member met up with them, then after a quick introduction she was led to the General.

"Good day Miss Burns," Yamamoto said as he met her in his study, "We will begin training at a later date. For now though, while you work with me, you will begin to study kidô. There is much preparation before your first spell."

Tarra nodded and accepted a few scrolls and books from Yamamoto. He told her to study hard, and practice controlling her spiritual pressure. She thanked him, and he led her to an area where she could study in peace.

For the next several hours she read over the scrolls, trying to learn what she could.

It was when she was stuck on something that she was interrupted by Yamamoto entering the room.

"So, how far have you gotten since this morning?" Yamamoto asked as he walked forward. He noted the scrolls and books that he had given her were across the desk she was currently working at. Two of the books were open, and he noted that the pages dealt with the same topic.

Tarra stood and gave a courteous bow before telling where she was at so far. Yamamoto listened and then gave a few strands of advice before telling her that it was time for lunch. She nodded and, at his direction, followed him back to his office, where lunch was served.

The rest of the day went by much the same. Yamamoto only interrupted her studies once more to ask if she wanted some tea, to which Tarra accepted his offer. Afterwards, she wasn't sure what to think.

She felt very small in a room that had Yamamoto and four other Captains. It made her wonder how significant she really was.

When Byakuya arrived to escort her back to the Kuchiki compound, he instantly noticed the worry etched in her features.

He wanted to take her into his arms and erase whatever was causing her trouble, but he knew that it wasn't possible. The only thing he could offer was a little bit of support.

"How was your day?" he asked, hoping to get a small response out of her at least.

Tarra smiled slightly, "Very long. My head hurts from all the information I stuffed into it today."

Byakuya smiled, and then pulled her close as he prepared to flash step to his home. Then, he paused in that train of thought. It wasn't that late yet, they could walk back and still be in time for dinner.

He walked with her all the way there, telling her about things they saw along the way. Then, they got to talking about something else and the conversation drifted for a long time until something else needed to be explained.

Then a topic of conversation hit that Byakuya didn't care for.

"I'm afraid," Tarra said suddenly.

"Of what?" Byakuya asked and reached for her hand.

Tarra frowned slightly, "Of the future. No one is even sure if I have any strength, if I don't, will I stay here or will I have to leave?"

"I would hope you could stay here," Byakuya said, "But if it bothers you, perhaps I could help you figure out whether or not you have a zanpaku-tô."

Tarra held his eyes for a long moment.

"It would be involving simple meditation," Byakuya said gently and pulled her in by the hand, "There is a way that we use to converse with the spirit of our zanpaku-tô. If I enter meditation while holding both of your hands and you enter meditation as well then you might be able to enter your inner world and I might be able to follow you."

"Not now I take it," Tarra said as the distance between them began to close.

"No," Byakuya said and kissed her forehead, "After dinner. We'll meet in my garden and attempt it."

"That sounds like a possibility," Tarra said and paused as Byakuya's hands dropped to her waist. She felt, distinctively warm from his touch, "Thank you."

Byakuya smiled, an expression that she seemed to bring out in him so often, and nodded before reluctantly pulling away to continue towards the Kuchiki estate.

They didn't talk much more for the rest of the way back, every now and then there would be a quiet word between the two, but mostly they remained silent. Their hands were loosely connected, fingers twined around the others.

When they arrived at the estate they were instantly met by some servants, and led to separate rooms so that they could get cleaned up.

Dinner went along as normal then Tarra and Byakuya went to the garden.

Byakuya explained the basics of meditation to her and then held her hands in his for a long moment, before Tarra broke the silence.

"Byakuya . . ."

Byakuya looked up at her face and instantly noticed that she looked pale, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. My head is swimming," Tarra said and touched her forehead. She remained quiet for a moment and then said, "I feel like someone is sitting on my chest, I can't get a good breath."

Byakuya quickly touched her cheek, which he instantly noticed was wet with perspiration, then scooped her up and flash stepped away towards Squad Four.

End Chapter 6


	7. Poison

Chapter 7

Poison

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

When Byakuya arrived at Squad Four, Retsu was just leaving with her husband, Kenpachi. Ayden was walking on unsteady feet between his mother and father, while Yachiru followed.

"Lady Zaraki," Byakuya said as he landed, "I'm sorry to grab you while you leave, but something is very wrong with Tarra. She is having issues breathing and she is drenched with sweat."

Retsu quickly checked on Tarra while Kenpachi picked Ayden up. She touched Tarra's forehead and then touched her throat and felt her pulse through her neck.

After several moments she said, "She's been poisoned. Follow me inside. Sorry Kenpachi, seems like I'm going to stay late after all."

"It's an emergency, Retsu," Kenpachi said and shifted Ayden in his arms, "I'll see you later tonight. Say bye to mommy Ayden."

"Ba ba mama," Ayden said in his broken speech and waved, "See ya lay ta!"

Retsu smiled and kissed her husband and son goodbye before rushing into the squad building, quickly followed by Byakuya.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

_Where am I?_ Tarra thought as she glanced around the area she had found herself in.

It was a wide field covered in varying types of grass and moss. The colors on the ground were as varying as those that covered an artist's pallet, in fact, Tarra could swear that it looked like a pallet at a certain angle. But, then again it could just be her imagination running wild.

There were trees of varying type and health, though most of them looked dead. They were also of varying colors, that complimented the ground they were rooted into.

"You're home," two voices said in the distance causing Tarra to look up and try to find the speakers.

She then saw two women, one wearing a long black robe fringed with orange and pink, the other wearing a long white robe fringed with dark blue and violet. Both had short silver hair held back with golden tiaras.

"What do you mean to say that I'm 'home'?" Tarra asked as she turned to the two women, "Where am I? Who are you?"

The two women looked at each other and then said in perfect unison, "This is your inner world and we are called-"

When they tried to say a name, to Tarra it sounded like they were suddenly muted.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch that," Tarra said and cocked her head.

Both women looked at each other with the same look of worry, then they shook their heads and spoke once more in unison, "It is not yet time for you to know our name. But you do need to know that your world is dying, someone poisoned your food. You tasted that something was wrong, but you didn't say anything. This has cost some time, time you barely have. But, you can still fight. Gather your spiritual pressure at the single pure white tree, hurry!"

They then vanished and Tarra was left alone to find the only pure white tree. She ran around the clearing and then saw a tree that fit the description high above her on a rocky ledge. There were no paths to the tree, no easy way to get there.

"I have to climb," she muttered as she headed for the wall.

"You don't have time!" the two voices said again, "You don't have to get up there to send your spiritual pressure to the tree! THINK!"

Tarra froze and thought, trying to think of how she could send the spiritual pressure to the tree without climbing up to touch it. Her mind was drawing a blank, however, and she couldn't think. She looked at the clearing and saw the trees dying around her.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Retsu worked hard trying to save Tarra's life. The poison was racing through her system, slowly destroying her from the inside. She had tried many antidotes, yet nothing was working, nothing was even slowing the progression.

"Send Byakuya in," Retsu sighed at last, "He needs to say his goodbye to her."

The medics all looked from one to the other then one exited the room for a few moments only for Byakuya to barge into the room right after he left. He froze when he entered the room and saw Tarra on the table still covered in the blanket. Her face was covered in sweat, and she looked to be in pain.

When he turned to her, Retsu spoke, "I have never encountered a poison like this before. I don't know how to counter it, I've tried everything I can think of. Even Minazuki cannot help."

Byakuya's eyes showed pain for a moment and then he turned to Tarra's still form on the bed.

He took her hand and then the world turned black.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Tarra?" Byakuya called as he entered the dying clearing, "What is this place?"

Tarra blinked at him then weakly lifted her hand up to touch his, "My inner world . . . what are you doing here?"

"I don't know . . . your inner world is dying . . . is there a way to save yourself?"

Byakuya pulled her into his arms.

"I was told to gather my spiritual pressure at the pure white tree," Tarra managed to get out, "But I can't climb up there, I won't make it in time . . . I'm too weak to go fast enough . . . I just died from the living, am I meant to die again so soon?"

Byakuya shook his head and then said, "You have to touch the tree to send your spiritual pressure to it in your world I take it. I can get you up there in time."

Another male voice spoke now as an armored samurai walked towards the two, "there isn't time Byakuya. There is a barrier that keeps anyone but her down lower for longer than we have."

"Senbonzakura," Byakuya said and turned to the samurai, "There must be another way then . . ."

Then the two women that Tarra had spoken with before appeared and spoke a single sentence before vanishing again, "That tree is old and strong, with deep roots."

There was instantly an explosion of rubble as Senbonzakura cleared some of the rocks on the lower cliff face away to reveal several white roots. Byakuya rushed over to the roots with Tarra in his arms and held her hands against the roots of the tree.

For a long while nothing seemed to happen, and the field continued to die.

"Tarra," Byakuya whispered into her ear as he held her hands against the roots, "You have to keep fighting. I know it's hard . . . I'm here for you. This isn't your time to end, I'm here for you as I will always be if you allow. You are not alone."

Her eyes slid back into her head.

The pressure that Byakuya placed on her hands increased, "TARRA!"

Her body began to slip down as it stopped supporting its own weight.

"TARRA!" Byakuya screamed as his hands lit with spiritual pressure.

Then the world turned white.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Tarra," Byakuya muttered as he awoke. He glanced around, trying to make out his surroundings.

"You had us scared there for a while Byakuya," the worried tone of Kyôraku, "Seems you ingested the same poison Tarra did a week ago."

Byakuya's eyes widened in shock and then he glanced around the room and tried to sit up, an effort that was stopped by Kyôraku, "Where is she?"

"Tarra is currently still asleep," Kyôraku said, "Her spiritual movement had completely stopped for a moment and then suddenly she just came back. Her spiritual pressure and yours spiked high enough to catch the attention of all the Captains and cause more than a few squad members here to faint, though only Kisuke, Kaname and I decided to investigate. Seems the massive amount of spiritual pressure you two let out so suddenly is what gave Lady Zaraki more time to find a cure, and with Kisuke's help as well you two were cured."

Tears entered Byakuya's eyes for a moment and then he closed his eyes to feel for Tarra's spiritual pressure. She was close, the next room, but he knew that Kyôraku would never let him up.

He also knew that she was no longer asleep, as her spiritual pressure was fluctuating wildly, though it didn't reach a point to cause anyone to notice.

"I think Tarra is awake," Byakuya said, "From the fluctuating spiritual pressure she is afraid as well."

Kyôraku closed his eyes for a moment and then he lifted an eyebrow before exiting the room and heading towards Tarra's room.

"Bad idea Kyôraku," Byakuya muttered. He heard a door open then he heard Tarra scream. He heard Kyôraku begin to stammer an apology while another man quickly tried to exit the room, from the sound of the voice it was Tôsen.

Then a third set of feet entered the room, Tôsen and Kyôraku began to back away and then ran like cats that had just been drenched. The third set of feet must belong to Retsu, it was the only way that both Tôsen and Kyôraku would scamper from the room like that.

Byakuya continued to listen to the goings on in the next room and heard Tarra crying and Retsu comforting her the best that she could. He heard some quiet mutters and then after a few moments Retsu walked into the room.

"It is not customary to do this, but since she will be calmer if you are with her, I wish to move you and her into a double room," Retsu said in her calmest tone. She then smiled and turned toward the door slightly, "She's put a lot of trust in you."

Byakuya simply smiled and then asked, "May I sit up, even if it is while being propped up by pillows?"

Retsu quickly walked over to him and touched his abdomen, "The poison settled in your abdomen and did some damage to the muscles there. I want you to stay lying down until I feel that the muscle is adequately recovered. I should warn you as well, Tarra ingested significantly more of the poison. Her body is very weak right now and she looks . . . just as weak as she is right now. The poison ravaged her body, she is in terrible condition."

"I don't care," Byakuya said, "I wish to see her."

Retsu nodded and then called for a few medics to help her move the two of them. Byakuya was quickly moved to a stretcher and carried to another room a few doors down the hall. He was placed on a large bed, more than wide enough for him, wide enough for him and another person. He also noted that there weren't any other beds in the room.

A few minutes later Tarra was carried into the room and Byakuya got to see her for the first time since he had awoken.

Retsu hadn't lied, she looked bad. She looked very thin and frail, her skin had a sickly pallor and there were dark circles around her eyes.

"Tarra," Byakuya whispered and watched as Tarra was placed on the bed next to him.

"Hi," Tarra responded with a weak sigh. Her eyes were dull and her hand felt like skin and bones as he took it into his own, "Where are we?"

Byakuya smiled and squeezed her hand, "We are at the main Squad Four building. We are in a place for healing."

Tarra simply nodded weakly before nodding off to sleep.

Retsu quickly checked on her and then declared that Tarra had worn herself out with the screaming.

For three days Retsu kept Tarra and Byakuya in Squad Four for observation. After that time she allowed them both out on the stipulation that Tarra would not walk on her own. Someone that she trusted would be with her at all times, helping her to get around and get what she needed. In this case that would be Byakuya.

Byakuya had been pronounced well enough by Retsu, that he was allowed to lift Tarra into his arms. There was some slight scarring in the muscle tissue in his abdomen, but nothing that caused concern.

Tarra, however, had massive damage to many of the muscle groups all around her body. The poison had done exactly what Retsu had described to Byakuya, it had nearly destroyed her. It was feared by many of the medical staff that she would never completely recover.

Retsu and Byakuya tried to remain hopeful, however, and she continued to study the art of kidô. She did so in the comfort of Byakuya's office in Squad Six, with him there to help her and explain other ways to look at certain topics. He was her gentle and loving protector.

End Chapter 7


	8. A Knight's Cure

Chapter 8

A Knight's Cure

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

For several weeks Tarra studied with Byakuya's help. Her skills with kidô improved, though she was upset about the fact that she couldn't move on her own. She did try to stay positive, though, and continued to smile even though times were rough on her.

Her dreams were what bothered her most, though. She dreamed of the two from when she had died for a moment attacking her. The two women attacked her with swords, thought Tarra was armed, she didn't know how to fight against her opponents. She would often wake up when she was about to be struck down in her dreams.

Byakuya didn't know about the dreams, though, he only knew that sometimes he would find her staring out the window when he came to get her in the mornings. Those mornings she hadn't slept at all during the night and she was unlikely to get anything done during the day. Sometimes she would, but most often she would be very somber throughout the day.

Then, about three weeks after they had awoken from the poisoning, Arthur appeared in Squad Six.

"What happened?" Arthur asked as he entered the room, "You should be in Squad Nine right now."

"There was a poisoning," Byakuya explained and stood up. He winced slightly as his abdomen gave him some pain, but he didn't think Arthur had noticed.

How wrong he was.

"What's wrong with you? Were you poisoned as well? What poison was it?" Arthur asked quickly, not giving Byakuya time to respond.

Tarra responded to Arthur's rudeness, "Give him a chance to answer, will you please, sir?"

Arthur grinned and then apologized to Byakuya before allowing him to answer the questions he was given.

"I was poisoned, though we don't know what the poison is called. Tarra was poisoned with the same poison, though she received a significantly greater dose."

"How'd that work?" Arthur asked in confusion.

"Someone poisoned a specific food item during dinner. It was something that the head chef knew Tarra liked, because he asked her. He made it for her to help her cope with some of the home sickness she's been feeling. Somewhere along the way between the kitchen and the dining room someone poisoned the dish. Originally, it was just for Tarra, but I tried some of it," Here Byakuya paused for a long moment and then said, "It was actually pretty tasty."

Arthur nodded and then looked at Tarra, "As you know what the dish was supposed to taste like, did the poison have a taste?"

Tarra thought about that for a long moment, before answering, "It was a little too sweet, and had a bitter aftertaste that it shouldn't have had."

Arthur went into thought for a long moment and then looked at Byakuya and said, "I will need to use my zanpaku-tô on you to find the true nature of the poison at this point. There will be no negatives from what I'm about to do, only positives."

Byakuya nodded and then stood so that he was a couple yards away from Arthur.

Then Arthur drew his blade, "Lady of the lake's holy blade, Excalibur. First light, holy healing!"

Light escaped Excalibur and shot into Byakuya's body.

For a moment he remained still, then he curled up in mid air as light enveloped him. When the light dimmed out Byakuya was back on his feet with a look of mild bewilderment on his features.

Arthur looked furious.

"Byakuya, take Tarra to your garden where the Lady created a portal for us before. Wait for me there."

Byakuya nodded and then scooped Tarra into his arms before he flash stepped to his garden. He held laid her down upon the grass, and then sat next to her to support her.

Two minutes later Arthur appeared in the garden. He instantly took note of the fact that Tarra was asleep with her eyes open, and then he got down to business.

Arthur then spoke, "The Lady will not need her awake for the exam, but she will awaken none the less. Before the healing process the Lady uses can take place, the spirits of all the zanpaku-tô in the immediate radius are forced to manifest. If the name of the zanpaku-tô is not yet known, the spirit will remain silent. For them to manifest, however, the soul reaper carrying them must be awake."

Byakuya nodded and then turned to the small pond as the Lady rose from the water. She was just how he remembered her as they parted, and she smiled as she stepped from the water to come and examine Tarra. Her fingers played over the smooth yet sickly colored skin, then she examined her eyes.

"Come young shinketsu," the Lady finally spoke, "I know you've been having issues sleeping lately, but I need you awake for this."

Tarra closed her eyes and then blinked them open, "I was just resting my eyes . . . who are you?"

"My true name is a secret that only Arthur knows. But, I am known as the Lady of the lake. Many just call me the Lady or Lady."

Tarra nodded in response and then the Lady explained what was going to happen.

A minute later the samurai that was Senbonzakura appeared along with the two women that had been causing nightmares for Tarra over the last few weeks, the two from her inner world.

Twin boys who shared a sleeve also appeared, wearing tall hats and blue and white robes. Two women also appeared, both with skull headdresses but one dressed as a ninja and the other dressed as a noble. Their clothing was purple.

"Well this is odd," the woman who looked like a noble said and then turned toward one of the walls, "Shunsui get your ass over here."

"You too Jûshirô!" The boys yelled in unison.

Kyôraku and Ukitake appeared a few seconds later, the later rubbing his head in embarrassment the former watching Tarra for any sign of her freaking out. The twin boys quickly went to Ukitake and pounced on him before he placed them on his shoulders with a happy smile.

Arthur waited for them to get closer, and while Ukitake did, Kyôraku didn't.

"Is there a reason you are lurking in the background Kyôraku?" Arthur asked.

Kyôraku grinned slightly and then said, "My first introduction to Miss Burns wasn't the greatest of introductions."

"What happened?" Arthur asked.

"I screamed bloody murder when he walked into the room," Tarra said drowsily before cuddling into Byakuya's chest.

Ukitake chose this moment to snort in hilarity while his zanpaku-tô spirits, Sôgyo no Kotowari, began to laugh. The nobler half of Katen Kyôkotsu also chuckled while the ninja remained silent. Kyôraku just pouted.

Arthur just shook his head and then told Kyôraku that he needed to be closer for this to work. Kyôraku then pointed out that Arthur's zanpaku-tô hadn't released its spirit. The Lady then said that she was considered the spirit of Excalibur.

Then it was asked who the two young women were that had no name.

"They are the spirits of Tarra's zanpaku-tô," The Lady said, "As of yet their names are unknown, so they will be unable to speak."

The two women nodded and then went over to Tarra and Byakuya and sat down on the ground on their knees to either side of them. Senbonzakura knelt down behind Byakuya and touched his shoulder.

"It is time for the healing process to begin," the lady said then, "All zanpaku-tô are to create a semicircle around and behind Tarra and Byakuya, while I stand in front of them with their zanpaku-tô directly to the right and left. After that I will begin the spell."

The zanpaku-tô quickly followed her orders, and then a bright light emanated from the Lady's hands. This light encircled both Tarra and Byakuya, and enveloping them in its healing properties.

When the light receded both Tarra and Byakuya were sitting there with looks of matching bewilderment on their features as they blinked. Tarra looked almost exactly as she had when she arrived in the Seireitei, except that her hair was pure white. She no longer had the gauntness that the poison had caused and her skin was of a healthy color. Byakuya didn't look too much different, he just was a little less pale than he had been before, a little less pale than he had ever been.

"Tarra's body was suffering from the damage that the poison had caused her. If it had remained that way for much longer she might have lost more of her spiritual powers than she had already. I have repaired a lot of the damage but it will take time for her to regain what she lost.

"As for you Byakuya," the Lady then looked at him with worried eyes, "Someone has been poisoning you for a long time. I have cleaned your system of all the poison, but someone might continue to poison you so I placed something in your taste buds and your finger tips that will alert you if there is poison on a surface or in a food. It won't tell you who does the poisoning, but it will alert me and thus Arthur. Some of the poison that had been long term for you, was also in Tarra in minute amounts."

"Someone has been trying to kill me?" Byakuya asked, though it was more of a statement than it was a question.

"Partially," the Lady said gently, "Just to weaken you slowly over time. I don't know why this person is doing this though. It is a woman for both of the poisons though. It is also possible that it is the same woman."

Senbonzakura then spoke, "Is it possible that it could be a member of the house staff?"

"Possibly," the Lady spoke, "Do you have a suspect?"

"A few," Senbonzakura said and then pointed toward the house, "There have been a few women that have changed in personality since Tarra arrived. Some are kinder while a few are . . . rather rude."

"I have noticed that as well," Byakuya said, "As per your orders, General Pendragon, Tarra's identity has been hidden. Many of the staff members have slowly become hostile to her."

"Something Casanova and I need to know about?" Kyôraku asked.

Arthur paused for a long moment and then glanced at the Lady. Their eyes met and he smiled before he spoke, "I think so."

End Chapter 8


	9. Finding the Poisoner

Chapter 9

Finding the Poisoner

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

A few days after being healed by the Lady, Tarra was in Squad Four learning about healing from Retsu Zaraki. They were chatting happily about their work, and Tarra was learning quickly from the kind lady Captain. She excelled in kidô, though that was partially from the fact she had been studying it for such a long time when she was still too ill from the poison to do much else.

She had also surprised Soi Fon and Yoruichi with some of her hand to hand prowess. Not that she could beat them, but they decided to go easy on her at first, which resulted in her nearly pinning Soi Fon.

Yoruichi mentioned that she liked Tarra's spunk.

When it came to Squad Three, she was trained by Izuru Kira and Rose in swordsmanship and they also taught her some of the more basic kidô techniques.

After she trained with Retsu she went to Squad Five and trained with Shinji in many techniques.

In Squad Six she trained with Byakuya once again, learning kidô, though she had yet to cast a single spell. Everyone was confident that she would soon.

There was a rest day after that, then she went to Squad Seven and trained with Sajin. He worked with her hand to hand powers as well, though he focused more on physical strength than technique.

The first time she visited Squad Eight she blinked at Kyôraku and then checked to see if she was in the right place. That got a chuckle out of Nanao who assured her that she was indeed in the right place. Kyôraku was a little different in his approach to training at first, however. He started with testing her logic. They played a game of chess with Tarra coming out on top in just under five minutes. The second game they played Kyôraku was the victor in three minutes. The third game lasted an hour before Nanao called for it to end so that they could actually train. Once that happened they practiced swordsmanship with two blades, just in case she had a double bladed zanpaku-tô.

It was after training with Kyôraku and returning home that Byakuya stopped her from eating something. He had made it a habit to touch everything in his home and to handle the food that she was to be served just before it reached her. Arthur arrived not thirty minutes later and began to question the staff about who had handled the food and who could have added something.

Eventually he found one woman who he questioned with the use of Excalibur's abilities. Using the third light of Excalibur, he forced her to speak the truth. She admitted to both poisoning Tarra and to slowly poisoning Byakuya. She had wanted Tarra out of the way, and had wanted Byakuya for her own.

Tarra's thoughts on the matter were that the woman was of stalker material. She and Byakuya were just a little creeped out when the woman called him "hers." As was Arthur apparently because he looked from Byakuya to the woman with a look of profound worry before telling the woman that she would need some mental evaluation before she went to prison for attempted murder.

Byakuya was just glad that Tarra was now safe.

Tarra was just glad to have lost one nuisance to her living a happy life. She would never admit to Byakuya that there was more than one that was causing her trouble though. She felt she had caused him enough problems since her arrival.

End Chapter 9


	10. Shikai

Chapter 10

Shikai

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

She had been training with the Captains for just over nine months. Her strength was improving dramatically and she had even surprised a few with her new found prowess.

Tarra still didn't know the name of her zanpaku-tô, however, and she would often hear the voices of that spirit calling out to her, though their name was always muted.

It was at this point that Arthur arrived and said that he would take care of her training for a day.

Tarra was terrified of how the training would go, but she swore to do her best.

When she reached the training field that Arthur had chosen, with Byakuya close on her heels, she was told to draw her blade and prepare for battle while Byakuya was told to wait on the sidelines.

Tarra readied herself as best she could and then flash stepped away as the ground beneath her feet exploded. Arthur launched into the air after her and struck at her with killing intent, a strike she barely deflected with the blade she had been given. She ran as fast as she could, deflecting attacks and trying to launch her own until it was proven that she couldn't hope to strike Arthur.

Byakuya and another spectator, Urahara, could tell what Arthur was trying to do. He was trying to force Tarra into releasing her zanpaku-tô.

Eventually, for Tarra, time seemed to freeze as she heard the voices of her zanpaku-tô's spirits calling in her ear. Telling her not to run, but to fight, she was not alone, they had her back.

"The only thing blocking your ears now is the loneliness that you have been feeling for so long. You are not alone any longer, you have friends here and you have us, who know you better than any other. Call our names, bring us into this fight at your side, release us!"

Tarra landed from a jump and turned to face her opponent, Arthur, who stood there with an amused expression on his features.

"Has the running in fear stopped?" he asked.

Tarra nodded slowly and then threw the training blade to the side before pulling her hands through the air as if pulling two blades from their sheaths. In each of her hands, swords appeared. Then she spoke.

"As the sun sets and the moon rises, the kingdom of half-light filters into our eyes for the brief moment. Come, take the crown of your kingdom! Twilight Rulers Hikari and Yami!"

The katana in Tarra's left hand turned pure black and lengthened slightly, the hilt was a dark pink and wrapped in dark orange fabric, and the hand guard was in the shape of a crescent moon. The blade ran along her arm in a defensive stance which could become offensive if she chose.

The blade in her right hand turned pure white, the hilt became a dark blue that was almost black wrapped in violet fabric, and the hand guard was shaped like the sun. She held the katana regularly, with the blade pointed away from her body.

"Well," Arthur said and clapped his hands in a short applause, "Congratulations, you have found your shikai!"

For a long moment Tarra seemed unsteady, then she glanced up at Arthur and said, "I take it that this was your plan?"

"Indeed it was," Arthur said as he paused in his applause, "Most soul reapers have an interesting effect when they find their zanpaku-tô in this way, however, you aren't reacting how I expect."

"I think it was a delayed reaction," Tarra said as her arms suddenly brought her blades together of their own violation, "I'm sorry about this."

There was a grating sound as the blades glazed off of one another and an energy ball formed that seemed to be made of both light and darkness. It then blasted toward Arthur, leaving a crater upon impact. She then fell backwards in a faint, landing in Byakuya's arms as he had flash stepped next to her once he noticed her beginning to fall.

Arthur was right behind him and said, "I will forgive this one act of insubordination as you were acting for Tarra."

Byakuya grinned then lifted Tarra into his arms more fully. He felt her power pushing against his own through his skin, fighting for control over itself.

"Tomorrow will be a day of rest for her," Arthur said, "To give her powers a chance to settle slightly before she begins to train again."

"There is a Captains meeting tomorrow," Byakuya said then, "So that makes things a little less complicated."

Arthur nodded and then glanced at Byakuya, who looked a little like a man with a lot of stress on his plate and no outlet for it.

Since their last meeting, Byakuya's eyes had changed slightly. Arthur could see love behind them when the other gazed at Tarra, but he could also see hurt and pain.

"How is the relationship between you and Tarra going?" Arthur asked.

Byakuya then spoke softly, "It is going nowhere for now. The slight advances I give, she rebuffs or ignores. I think she is determined for us to remain as just friends. I care for her, to the point that I would dare say I love her. I think she cares for me as well, though I can't get her to admit to anything."

"Perhaps she is afraid to," Arthur said with a gentle smile, "Her father has told me a little of her past, and it isn't the happiest thing I have ever heard. She hasn't had the best luck with her love life, one boy treated her like dirt because she refused to sleep with him. Another treated her kindly, but was actually using her to get to another woman."

Byakuya's eyes widened in shock.

"The most recent, before her death, was possessive and abusive. She would try to get away from him and get a black eye for her troubles. I don't know everything that he said to her but apparently he cut her self esteem by quite a bit as well."

Byakuya looked down at Tarra and then pulled her closer to his chest, "I didn't know all of that, she doesn't speak of the past."

"She doesn't want to dwell on it," Arthur suggested.

"Perhaps," Byakuya nodded before nodding to Arthur, "Is there anything else you need General Pendragon?"

"No," Arthur shook his head, "You are dismissed to go home and take Tarra home with you so that she can be put to bed."

With that Byakuya nodded and then hurried home with Tarra in tow, the latter sleeping peacefully in the former's arms.

End Chapter 10


	11. Truth Be Told

Chapter 11

Truth be Told

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

Tarra didn't know when her feelings for Byakuya had changed into something more. She didn't know why she felt like she did. She'd known him for just over a year, and she felt closer to him than she had felt to anyone before.

She loved him.

She wanted him to be happy.

Even if that wasn't with her.

She felt that he would be happiest if he wasn't with her as well. She didn't feel that she deserved a man like him, and she didn't feel as if she could ever make him happy.

Admitting that to herself caused Tarra a bout of depression. Though, she would not allow Byakuya to know this.

She was content in watching him from a distance, and awaiting his return home on the days that she had off.

End Chapter 11


	12. On Love

Chapter 12

On Love

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death. This also contains a lemon.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

It was the end of the day after she had learned her zanpaku-tô's name. Byakuya was late returning home, and Tarra was worried. She had never known one of the Captain's meetings to go on for this long.

Byakuya himself was surprised at the length of the meeting. It lasted a lot longer than usual, long enough for Yamamoto to have both lunch and dinner sent for. When the meeting was over Yamamoto gave all of the Captains the next day off to get their minds set over the events during the meeting. He also informed Byakuya and Sajin that Tarra would have the next day off as well, as she was to be training with Squad Seven the next day.

Byakuya and Sajin both nodded and then, once dismissed, they hurried home.

When he arrived home, he found Tarra asleep against the entrance with a sketch book in her lap. He shook his head, then, went to pick her up and take her inside. When he lifted her into his arms he glanced a picture at the sketch she had been working on, feeling shocked when he noticed that it was of himself. In the picture he was posed with his eyes closed and leaning against a wall. His face was in profile, though a small smile could be seen.

The details were rendered with loving accuracy, and it was obvious that she had spent a bit of time on it.

Byakuya shook his head, then picked up the sketch book and carried it inside as well as Tarra.

He took her to her room, and then went to place her sketch book on her desk.

When Tarra sighed in her sleep, Byakuya turned to glance at her, accidently knocking the sketch book to the floor and open again to his eyes.

What he saw on that page wasn't a sketch, it was a journal entry.

As he read the page his eyes widened in shock:

_I'm not the strong woman that anyone thinks I am. I'm just a plain woman with nothing to offer anyone. I don't deserve the kindness that Byakuya and the other Captains have given me over the last nine months, I'm not worth it._

_I don't deserve him._

_I want to tell him how I feel so badly, it hurts. I want him to know that he means more to me than anything else . . . but if I do that then, he'll get the low quality me. He'd get a woman who doesn't deserve the kindness that has been offered her._

_I'm not worth all the time that the Captains have put into me._

_I'm not worth the trouble Sir Arthur Pendragon has gone through for me._

_It's why I keep telling him no every time he asks._

_When he finds another I will pray for their happiness and remain alone for the rest of my life._

Byakuya stared at page for a long moment shaking with emotion. He hadn't meant to read it, but a few words caught his eye and he couldn't help himself.

He walked over to Tarra and sat next to her on the bed, pulling her close to him. He pulled her into his lap and began to stroke her hair with one hand, an act that never failed to awaken her.

As Tarra awoke she noticed him so close. She noticed the look on his face.

"What's wrong?" She asked, scared of what she might find out.

"Nothing is wrong," Byakuya said, "Not with me."

She gave him a look of confusion.

"You aren't worthless," he whispered and pulled her closer and burying his face in her neck, "You are the kindest woman that I have ever met, and one of the most beautiful. Don't ever think that you are undeserving of ANYTHING. You deserve all the love and kindness in the world and more."

"Byakuya . . ."

"I will apologize now," Byakuya said as he pulled his face away from her neck and looked into her eyes, "I accidentally knocked your sketch book down and . . . it opened . . . and I read the page it landed on. It was dated for this morning . . ."

Tarra gasped in surprise and her eyes widened in shock as she stared into the worry filled orbs that were Byakuya's eyes.

"There is no one present or future that I want to be with more than you," Byakuya said and touched one hand to her cheek.

Tarra felt an energy course through her, and a need rose into her veins.

Byakuya felt a need enter him, and his fingers danced across the skin on her arm. Quickly his lips contacted hers, and for a long moment there was a perfect stillness just before the kiss deepened.

Byakuya pulled her into his arms, then after grabbing one other thing from her room, he flash stepped to his own room.

Tarra found herself on Byakuya's bed, laying underneath him as he very slowly caused her to lose control.

Byakuya's hands rubbed over her body, touching the sensitive areas with gentle and maddening caresses, pushing the fabric covering her away. Her body was alight with a fire when she was fully exposed to him. He instantly noticed the Chinese style dragons on her shoulders, the violet on her right and the orange on her left. He ran his fingers over the twining dragons then down her back causing her back to arc from the gentle touch.

He then sat up and removed his shirt as he straddled her hips. He threw his shirt to the side, in the same pile that he had thrown her clothing, then bent down to kiss her deeply once again.

Eventually, Tarra pulled at Byakuya's pants, eager to leave nothing between them. He laughed and removed them, quickly throwing them into the pile with the rest of their clothing. He pushed her knees up and apart before pressing his dick deep into her, causing her to gasp in pleasure.

Tarra did her best to move in time with Byakuya's thrusts, and was quickly overwhelmed by the feeling of pleasure. It was a feeling she couldn't fight, a feeling that quickly caused her to cry out.

Byakuya quickly quieted her cries by covering her mouth with his.

After both were spent, they lay together in the bed. He pulled her close, his body spooning hers in a protective embrace.

Their bodies were facing one another, his slightly over hers. The blankets were twisted around them, and their bodies glistened with sweat. They were still connected, and as they drifted into their dreams, it was obvious that it would remain that way.

End Chapter 12


	13. Bonds

Chapter 13

Bonds

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death. This contains a lemon and hints of a lemon.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

When she awoke, Tarra was comfortable in Byakuya's arms. She could feel his body over hers, and knew she was safe. Her body was still entwined with his and as he shifted in his soon to end sleep she could feel him inside her still. His arms were still wrapped around her and the fingers on one of his hands were entwined in her hair. She herself was still basking in the afterglow of the lovemaking from the night.

Byakuya's eyes opened then and glanced down at her, "Good morning," he muttered and pulled her closer to him, "How do you feel?"

Tarra smiled and nuzzled into his neck, "Great."

_Better,_ She thought as she pushed closer to him, _I've never felt this good._

Byakuya grinned as her thoughts finished, "I'm glad you enjoyed it. So you've never felt this good before?"

Tarra blinked at Byakuya and then thought with her face in Byakuya's sight, _Can you hear me?_

"What the?" Byakuya whispered as his eyes widened.

"I'll take that as a yes," Tarra mumbled, "What's going on?"

Then her zanpaku-tô spoke to her and said, _It's called soul bonding._

"Soul bonding?" Byakuya asked and pulled Tarra closer.

Senbonzakura was then spoke, _Yes . . . though I have to wonder why it has happened._

_We don't have to wonder,_ Hikari and Yami spoke, _There are several reasons it has happened._

Byakuya and Tarra both paused as every reason possible for the bonding to occur passed through their minds. Byakuya noticed a few things that he though could be possible for him, but . . .

Then Tarra cried, "I can't prove anything! That's why I haven't said anything!"

"Prove what?" Byakuya asked as he pulled her closer to him.

_Show him!_ Hikari and Yami yelled at Tarra.

Tarra whimpered and then images floated across her mental link to Byakuya of different events of mental abuse that several people among the house staff had procured. There were a few bouts of physical abuse as well, mostly slaps across the face from the head of household, mostly when Tarra had tried to make a suggestion regarding certain decorations or other simple things that weren't worth him slapping her over.

Byakuya shook his head and then kissed her gently, knowing that he couldn't act on what he had seen through the link, even though he knew it was true.

"I'll be here for you," Byakuya said and sat up, separating himself from Tarra, "Let's relax a bit though, today. All of the captains are off, and Yamamoto decided to give you an extra day off."

Tarra chuckled and then said, "Maybe we could spend the day out of the house?"

"I was thinking the same thing," Byakuya said with a smile, "It could be a date."

Tarra nodded and then sat up slowly to face him, "Should I bring anything?"

Byakuya chuckled and then said, "You can bring what you want. I'm not going to force you to bring anything. I brought your . . . erm . . . journal."

Tarra smiled happily at that, "Wanting to read today's entry are you?"

There was a general chuckling from both of them and then Byakuya stood to clean himself up for the day. Tarra followed him into the bathroom and when they both exited about thirty minutes later, there were matching grins on their features. Byakuya then flash stepped with the both of them into her room so that she could get dressed.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, they enjoyed their breakfast and lunch out of the house and basically spent the entire day on a date. It was a chance to cement the bond which they had gained.

That night they slept together again, making stronger bonds between the two of them. Her quiet cries of passion were muffled by his lips. Their bonds were what were most important now.

End Chapter 13


	14. Seated

Chapter 14

Seated

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death. It also contains hints of a lemon.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

Tarra had turned bright red the day after she and Byakuya had cemented their bond, Captain Sajin Komamura had instantly noticed the fact that she had become sexually active with Byakuya. This resulted in her fainting in embarrassment.

When Sajin's wife, Moria, walked into the room a minute after Tarra had fainted, she had to cock her head at what she saw.

"She fainted," Sajin said and turned to Moria after placing Tarra on the couch, "I think I embarrassed her about . . . well . . ."

"About what?" Moria asked and walked into the room closely followed by Haruka and Himiko, Haruka holding onto Moria's "tail", and Himiko holding onto Haruka's tail. Moria's "tail" was actually the sash from the belt of her gi, left long in the back to allow one of the twins to grab a hold of it.

Haruka and Himiko instantly noticed their daddy and hurried on wobbly legs to him, both falling in sync about halfway across the room.

Sajin just shook his head with a chuckle before bending down and holding his hands out for the twins to run into. They did with happy cries, after taking a moment to get their balance back.

"Well I mentioned that she and Kuchiki are a couple now," Sajin paused in thought for a long moment, "Beyond where we were before we were married. His scent is all over her."

Moria slapped her palm to her face and shook her head, "She's nervous about men anyway, and you pull that on her, no wonder she fainted."

Sajin blinked in confusion.

"Apparently, after that poisoning incident that happened between both Captain Kuchiki and herself, Kaname was in the room when she woke up. She became rather nervous, and her spiritual pressure showed it. Captain Kyôraku entered the room a little bit later, to check on her, and she screamed bloody murder. She is afraid of men apparently, a fear she is fighting, but a fear that is still there. I think it has something to do with her death, but she doesn't talk about it."

"You've spoken with her?" Sajin asked as he handed one of the twins to Moria so he could change the other.

"For a few minutes when I led her to the Captain's office when she was to train at Squad Eight last time," Moria said with a shrug, "That was also the day that Haruka and Himiko decided to escape from daycare after stripping."

"What?" Sajin chuckled and cocked his head in amusement as he glanced down at the twins.

"I didn't tell you about that, huh?"

"No, you didn't tell me."

"Oh man, it was very funny. Anyway, as Tarra and I were walking towards Captain Kyôraku's office and I see him psudo run down the hallway ahead of us towards his office yelling, 'run! They have no pants!' followed a few seconds later by these two, who were singing, 'we have no pants' over and over and over again. I started to chuckle and hurried to catch them, after leaving Tarra to continue on her way to Captain Kyôraku's office."

Sajin snorted in amusement, receiving worried looks from his daughters in result. He assured them with a noise, that was just out of Moria's hearing range, before backtracking the conversation a bit.

"I will ask why you are here, not that I mind," Sajin asked then and nuzzled the twin he had just changed. The baby cooed and laughed when he tickled her toes, squealing in hilarity.

Moria chuckled, partially from the story and partially from the question, and pulled out an envelope with the Squad Eight emblem as a seal, "To get this to you for Captain Kyôraku. He said it wasn't too important, but you might want it now as opposed to in three days."

"Now instead of later," Sajin laughed and placed the twin in her mama's arms after taking the envelope, "What a novel concept."

Moria laughed and then turned to go, "I'll see you tonight love."

"See you tonight," Sajin nodded and then paused when he heard a groan, "Are you better now Miss Burns?"

Moria paused before leaving and placed the twins on the ground, swishing her "tail" so that one of them would grab it. The twins, however, had other ideas as they investigated the lady on the couch.

Moria just shook her head, but a gentle smile crossed her features.

"Yes," Tarra said and then sat up, "I am better Captain, thank you. Well hello little ones! Coming to investigate the strange lady? Even after I saw you streaking in Squad Eight?"

Sajin stifled a laugh while Moria said, "You aren't that strange and I have to wonder if they noticed you."

"Well if that's the case, I'm new to them," Tarra said and brought her face in closer to the twins, "hi there!"

Himiko decided that mommy was more interesting, Haruka decided that the white hair on Tarra's head needed investigated. Tarra held very still as the toddler grabbed at her hair and yanked slightly before placing the silvery strands into her mouth. The baby then laughed and pulled a little harder, causing Tarra to wince. Haruka instantly nuzzled to her in apology, cuddling into her cheek and squeaking.

"She's asking for forgiveness," Sajin said, "To accept the apology, give her a kiss between her ears."

Tarra smiled and then gently kissed Haruka between the ears. The little girl laughed and then ran towards her mommy and grabbed her sister's tail, before being led from the room by her mommy.

"Your babies are cuties Captain Komamura," Tarra stated after the female portion of Sajin's family left the room.

Sajin chuckled and then asked her if she was ready to train. Tarra nodded and their day of training began.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

It had been a year since she had arrived in the Seireitei. Arthur arrived to inspect Tarra's progress, in all combat forms. He fought her for an hour and then he stated that he was happy with her progress.

There was a Captains meeting held and Arthur stated that Tarra was ready for active duty, she had mastered her swordsmanship and had a decent understanding of kidô and her hand to hand was excellent as well.

Byakuya listened to this and decided that he would use his noble standing to keep her from being seated, until Arthur blew that idea out of the water.

"I believe she is qualified for Lieutenant status," Arthur said, "She is more than capable. I hear that one of your squads is without a Lieutenant."

"Two now actually General Pendragon," Hitsugaya suddenly said, "Matsumoto is going to the king's dimension. She told me it was to keep Gin out of trouble."

"One is shifting squads," Kyôraku suddenly added, looking rather proud.

"Nanao can't be in the same squad as her husband, so she is shifting to Squad Ten," Shinji laughed.

Hitsugaya looked up then and said a quiet thank you, to chuckles around the room.

Arthur smiled and then chuckled himself. He then paused and said, "Ukitake's duties are being completed on time and he has two third seats that are acting well as a Lieutenant. I might suggest that she go to Squad Eight."

Yamamoto nodded and then turned to look at Byakuya, "Do you have anything to say against this Captain Kuchiki?"

"Will my arguments have any effect?" Byakuya asked.

Arthur lifted a single eyebrow and then said, "Only if it a valid argument, and not what you did with Rukia."

Byakuya sighed slightly, "I doubt you will see it as a valid argument."

Arthur simply chuckled and then gave Byakuya a strange look before turning away and saying, "You care for her, I can tell. But watch your back, because if you upset her you will have two of the most powerful Captains from Europe, excluding the knights of the round, after your blood."

"I was under the assumption that her parents were of noble blood," Yamamoto mentioned then.

Arthur nodded and then said, "But as the case most often here is, nobles tend to have higher spiritual pressure than others, both from being in the soul society for generations and being born in the soul society. Tarra and her siblings are wild cards, since they were born in the world of the living, it is unknown. The royal family has done it for generations, but their bloodline is made to remain strong even the world of the living. Tarra has strength, but whether or not she will achieve that which her parents have is not yet known."

Retsu then spoke up, "I believe that she should apprentice under another Lieutenant for a short time first. She doesn't know what she's in for and she might decide herself that she doesn't want to be a Lieutenant. While she does work well, and is very driven, suddenly just dumping all of this on her is not going to go over well."

Arthur nodded and agreed with her suggestion.

A few hours later the Captains meeting ended and Byakuya met up with Tarra at his home to tell her what was going to happen. He told her that she would be apprenticing under Lieutenant Ise for a short time before she decided whether or not she would become a Lieutenant herself.

Tarra wasn't sure what she thought of that. She didn't know what was going to happen now, but it was going to be an adventure, of that she was sure.

An hour after Byakuya arrived, Arthur arrived at the Kuchiki complex.

"I assume that Byakuya told you what is to happen?" Arthur asked.

Tarra nodded and then, "I'm going to apprentice under Lieutenant Ise for a little while before I decide whether or not I want to be a lieutenant. Truthfully, sir, it might take a while for me to decide."

Arthur chuckled and then mentioned that she had plenty of time to make her decision. It wasn't as if they were rushing her.

Tarra smiled and said a simple thank you before giving a look as if she were debating whether or not to say something then decided against it.

"Your parents are still waiting for you to tell them how you are faring here," Arthur baited her, "Is there something you want me to tell them?"

Tarra smiled and shook her head, not falling for the bait. At least not completely, as she told Arthur that she didn't have anything to tell them yet.

Arthur smiled and then told her to contact him if something changed, but he also noted that her parents were probably going to visit her within the next few weeks.

"Mom and dad are going to visit?" Tarra asked, confused, "Don't they have business and work in Europe?"

"Er," Arthur chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "Well that is interesting to explain. You see, when they moved to Europe they took six months to allow your brother and sister to become completely adjusted to the area's soul society, then well."

Tarra blinked for a few seconds waiting for Arthur to continue, then the answer hit her, "There was an accident wasn't there?"

"That would be a yes," Arthur nodded and then said, "Merlin sabotaged the breaks on their car in a way that it looked like an accident, or shoddy workmanship, and the brakes failed causing a crash that killed them all outright. I didn't want any of them to suffer."

"Thanks for that at least," Tarra said, "I'm mad that they were killed but since they didn't suffer that makes it a little better, I guess. Not really . . ."

Arthur frowned slightly then pushed her to continue, "What's wrong?"

"Well," Tarra muttered then said, "each of us had our own dreams that we wanted to fulfill and it's hard to do that when you're dead."

Arthur laughed and said, "But it's not impossible. Your sister wants to be an actress if I remember correctly, and while she can now never catch the hearts of an audience on a living stage, soul society has its stages as well. And your brother can now learn from authors in the past and improve his writing with their help. I have even helped get an author's writing published in the world of the living."

Tarra blinked in surprise.

Arthur smiled then spoke again, "You don't have to worry about your siblings dreams, just worry about your own. Worry about what you want, not about what your family wants. In the end, it's how you look at yourself that matters most, and if you have become something you feel that you can be proud of."

Tarra smiled and then paused when she noticed her hair out of the corner of her eye, she then made an aggravated noise.

"Would you like me to ask your family to bring you something?"

Tarra nodded then told him what she wanted her family to bring.

Arthur paused in thought and then asked, "Isn't that used for hair dye?"

"Purple specifically," Tarra nodded.

Arthur laughed and then turned to Byakuya, who had just walked into the room and asked, "And your thoughts on her dying her hair as it was before?"

Byakuya chuckled and said, "It is not my place to judge how she wants to look. I think she is beautiful either way. But I do have a question, Tarra, is that not available here?"

"I'm . . . truthfully not sure," Tarra shrugged, "I asked some of the house staff before, but no one would . . ."

Tarra paused and nearly fainted as a sudden blast of spiritual pressure brought her to her knees before it receded.

"Who?" Arthur growled as he bent down in front of Tarra.

"Several people," Byakuya answered and walked over to the two, "Who have been forced into a less than cushioned retirement by myself."

Arthur glanced at Byakuya, his glare requiring Byakuya to explain.

"If the retirement of one of the house servants is a willing retirement on their part, my family puts forth a sum of money equal to the amount of money they have saved up in order to retire happily, up to a certain point. But, if a member of my family forces them to retire, due to an event which causes anger or embarrasses the family in some way, they receive no money from us, and are forced to live on whatever they had already saved up."

Arthur paused and thought about that for a moment before helping Tarra to her feet, "So they are being forced into retirement with less than half of what they normally would have had to live comfortably over a longer period of time."

Byakuya nodded.

Arthur chuckled, "Their going to have to find something to do in order to make ends meet."

"Most definitely."

Arthur continued to chuckle before he made to leave for Europe.

End Chapter 14


	15. The Next Step

Chapter 15

The Next Step

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death. It also contains hints of a lemon.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

She had spent a few months as an apprentice under Lieutenant Ise when she finally decided what she wanted to do. She enjoyed working as a Lieutenant, and enjoyed the challenges that it offered her. While she had never thought of herself as a paper pusher, she found that she was rather good at it once she had gotten a rhythm down.

So she became a Lieutenant.

Training was fun as well, especially when Byakuya took his shirt off in a random sparring match against Kenpachi in which the latter had already taken off his shirt, but it had been rather hot that day . . . in more than one way.

Tarra and Retsu were in agreement, that was the hottest day on record.

Several other women were in agreement as well.

Then, on a cool October morning, under the brightly colored leaves of the many trees in Byakuya's garden something happened.

The noble Captain stood next to the woman who had so recently changed the path of his life, his arms around her, his face buried in her silver-white hair. Then, he took a reluctant step back, reached into his pocket, and dropped down to one knee, asking a question of her.

For a moment she seemed frozen before she dropped slowly to her knees, smiling and nodding, unable to speak though the tears of happiness she was shedding.

Byakuya edged slowly closer to her taking a golden and platinum ring from the tiny box he had held out only moments before, and then taking her left hand into his own, slipping the tiny ring onto her finger.

Tarra stared into his eyes for a long moment, unable to break that moment with any words, unable to find the words that would fit. Unable because words were useless at this point, neither needed them to understand the other. Both understanding that all they needed to understand the other was a simple kiss.

End Chapter 15


	16. Wedding Hysterics

Chapter 16

Wedding Hysterics

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death. It also contains hints of a lemon.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

Spring time, when everything was in bloom.

"ACHOO!"

When poor Captain Ukitake's random allergy acted up.

When the sakura blossoms were in bloom and their scent gently wafted over the areas that the trees were planted.

Under a specific group of trees several dainty pink petals drifted down and landed on one of two long tables draped with fine white fabric, one of which was surrounded by chairs. Currently the tables were empty, save for the scattering of golden origami cranes around the table. If one were to look up into the trees they would notice more golden cranes hanging from the branches of the trees, swinging gently in the wind. Some were perched all over the area and if one were to count, there would be 1,001 of them.

Not far away there was a small gathering of people, friends and some family of the couple with eyes only on each other, who stood under a huge blooming plum tree.

The couple were in the midst of the ceremony, dressed in kimonos even more elegant than the rest.

Tarra was dressed in a beautiful white silk kimono, embroidered in a metallic white with patterns of flowing water and flowers. Her hair was tied back in an elegant knot, a traditional style, with several ornate combs holding her hair back. Her look was very customary except she did not wear the hood that was usual for brides and her face wasn't painted white. It was something she refused to do, even with someone she loved so much, for what it meant. She would not be subservient to her husband, though she would be traditional at times when it was called for.

Byakuya was also dressed very traditionally, with a black silk kimono with pants that were black and gray vertical stripes. He was dressed much more simply than Tarra, though he was no less handsome than usual.

Most of the guests were dressed in kimonos as well, enjoying the simple ceremony. Tarra's parents were standing closest to the pair, her mother in a kimono of a deep scarlet embroidered with white and pink, her father in one of a deep violet, embroidered with silver and gold. They were standing in their places next to their daughter.

Opposite them, where Byakuya's parents would have stood were two empty chairs each with a picture of his late parents sitting in the chairs.

Between the bride and groom stood a table with three stacked sake cups and an ornate bottle of sake.

At that point two women dressed as shrine maidens walked toward the bride and groom to help with the ceremony. One picked up the first flat sake cup and held it out to the second who filled it with sake. The cup was then handed to Byakuya who took three small sips before he handed the cup to Tarra, who took three small sips herself, then walked gracefully to the chairs with Byakuya's parent's pictures.

First she knelt in front of his father's picture then dipped the end of her right ring finger into the glass and touched the finger to the edge of the frame. She repeated the act twice more before repeating the process with the picture of his mother. She then handed the glass to Byakuya who handed the glass to her father, who took three small sips, then to her mother, who also took three small sips.

The entire process was repeated from the first pouring of the sake to the third sip Tarra's mother took twice more, then the ceremony ended with them offering the last of the sake to the gods, and them entering their home while the guests waited in the area decorated with the cranes.

A short time later Byakuya walked out of the house again dressed in a different kimono, much more fashionable, still silk, though it was blue embroidered with silver and gold dragons. He held his hand out to Tarra who walked out in a beautiful scarlet kimono, embroidered with silver and gold birds.

Behind them walked servants carrying trays of food which were laid out on the long table not surrounded by chairs. Then, the wedding feast began.

A few hours later after everyone had eaten their fill everyone was mostly chatting. Tarra's parents and siblings were fussing over her, her mother especially, happily saying something about how her daughter made a beautiful bride.

Several of the male captains were speaking with Byakuya. Kenpachi and Sajin were both congratulating him, while Tôsen remained silent, and Shinji ribbed him with Rose and Love laughing in the background as well.

Moria was also at the wedding, she was outside watching as her youngest two chased the falling flower petals, sometimes bringing her, or their father, a few petals or a flower they had caught.

Arthur was also there, though a little out of place in his European formal garb. He was enjoying himself though, as was Lancelot, who was also in European formal garb. The only reason they were there was because the two most powerful Generals, other than Arthur, were here watching the wedding. Victor then walked from the house and spotted Arthur and Lancelot, giving a small wave and walking over to them.

Then, an ear piercing squeal was heard from Tarra's direction as her mother began letting loose with what sounded like a happy noise, along with starting to bounce around the room like a child with too much sugar in their system. Elizabeth looked extremely excited, and was chattering so fast no one could understand her. Kureno, Haruka, and Himiko covered their ears while Sajin winced.

Victor looked at his wife for a long moment then looked at his daughter and called, "You broke her!"

To sudden uproarious laughter from many among the wedding party.

Arthur just chuckled then gave Elizabeth a worried glance when she suddenly froze and a look of absolute horror crossed her features.

She then screeched, "I'm too young to be a grandma!"

Lancelot just blinked in confusion for a moment and then yelled, "Well that's what you get for hiding in the world of the living for thirty years and starting a family in the first two years of that!"

"Captain you are so heartless!" cried Elizabeth.

Victor chuckled and then walked up to Elizabeth and held her, "There, there dear. We have no need for hysterics. Besides, there will be plenty of that after I strangle Byakuya for not waiting."

Kyôraku, who had been at the wedding since the beginning, was just a little drunk by this point, just enough that he was a little slap happy, walked up to Byakuya and patted him on the back saying, "It was nice know- *hic* knowing ya Bya- *hic* Byakuya."

Byakuya gave Kyôraku a very worried glance.

Tarra then stood by Byakuya and took his hand before looking at her father and saying, "Do not strangle my husband, or your grandbaby from me will grow up never knowing either grandfather."

Victor paused and then rethought his words, "I'm not gonna to kill him, I'm just gonna scare him a little."

"That does not reassure me in the least," Byakuya muttered causing Tarra to chuckle slightly.

"No killing, and no emotionally scarring Byakuya," Tarra said then leaned her head on Byakuya's shoulder.

Victor frowned and then pouted, "You're no fun sweetie. I do need to give him 'the talk' though."

"I said no emotionally scarring!"

"Not that talk!"

Arthur by this point was giggling hard enough that he was rolling, Lancelot was barely keeping his composure as well.

Lancelot then whispered, "This is why I like weddings, there's always something that happens."

Arthur blinked for a moment and then, "Lancelot you're terrible."

"It's the truth."

"That's why you are terrible."

"I know," Lancelot laughed.

The rest of the wedding party went on without a hitch, and there was no bloodshed or emotional scarring of Byakuya.

End Chapter 16


	17. Birth of a New Heir

Chapter 17

Birth of a New Heir

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, the Tite does. I only own my OCs and OOCs

Warnings: This is AU and contains possible spoilers. Also this is considered a part of my Mi Hermano AU so it has spoilers for that. Another warning is that this contains character death. It also contains hints of a lemon.

No flames please, but constructive criticism is always welcome.

"I will not do this timing again," Tarra whimpered as she felt the cool water from the shower run over her, cooling her heated skin and easing the discomfort she was feeling slightly. She was laying in a large bathtub, her ponderous belly covered in cool damp towels to help concentrate the cooling sensation. She wasn't nude in the bath either, a lightly woven white robe, which was now almost translucent due to the soaking.

Isane smiled softly as she helped Tarra try to cool down, she had volunteered to watch after Tarra while Captain Retsu Zaraki was required elsewhere.

"It is very hot," Isane agreed, "Would you like me to turn the water a little cooler?"

Tarra thought about that for a moment then shook her head, "No, it is fine as it is. Too cold and I might get sick."

"Miss Tarra," a voice from the hallway called, "Would you like something to drink?"

Tarra instantly perked up a bit, "Has Chef made those wonderful smoothies again Celeste?"

Celeste's voice chuckled from the hallway and then she said, "He's been keeping up on making those since he found out you like them, Miss Tarra. Lieutenant Kotetsu would you like a smoothie as well?"

"What type of smoothie?" Isane asked as she poured some cool water over Tarra's head, soaking the other woman's hair and turning it into cords of mercury.

Tarra smiled, enjoying the cooling sensation, "I've been getting a mixed berry smoothie, and the way Chef makes it, he adds a some homemade vanilla ice cream instead of completely ice," here Tarra paused as Isane poured another bit of water over her head, "I guess it really isn't a smoothie then, more of a cream smoothie."

Isane smiled and then said, "I'll take one if Chef doesn't mind making another for me."

Tarra smiled at her fellow Lieutenant and said, "I'm sure he won't. He usually makes a big batch and it is shared by most of the staff. Especially with how hot it is . . . everyone loves Chef right now."

"I'll go get a couple for you two," Celeste said through the door, then, they heard her walk away.

There was quiet for a minute then Tarra winced in pain.

"Are you alright?" Isane asked and touched Tarra's abdomen.

"I think it's time," Tarra whimpered, and tried to stand, feeling Isane assist her in the action, then she heard the door open and another set of hands join Isane's a few seconds later.

"I seem to have arrived at a good moment," Retsu said in her calm tone, "Was that the first contraction?"

Tarra nodded then followed Isane toward the room she would be delivering in, which wasn't that far to walk, just that her water decided to break in the middle of the hallway halfway there for Byakuya to find a minute later when he arrived home.

"Tarra," Byakuya called into the room just after he called a servant to clean the mess up, "Everything alright?"

"I'm alright for the moment, I haven't hit hard labor yet but the contractions still HURT LIKE HELL!" Tarra screeched the last part and Byakuya had to assume that a contraction was speaking.

"May I come in?" Byakuya asked through the door.

There was some whispering, which Byakuya could not make out, then Retsu opened the door for him.

"As long as you let Tarra attempt to break your fingers instead of Isane's," Retsu said and stepped aside for him to quickly walk in.

Byakuya quickly took his spot and held Tarra's hands, holding back a wince as she squeezed his hands painfully hard and cried out as another contraction took her. He would stay by her side during the entire trial.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Several hours later Tarra was resting comfortably in a drug induced healing sleep. Next to the bed she was resting in, Byakuya sat holding a tiny newborn baby, wrapped in a soft blanket. The baby was quiet and sleeping, listening to his father's heartbeat. The baby had soft white fuzz on his head, and his tiny fingers were slowly working, flexing and stretching.

Byakuya and Tarra had discussed names for each gender. For a girl they had decided on Tomoyo. It had taken them a little longer to agree on a boy's name, but eventually that had agreed on Ayame.

"Hello my son," Byakuya said, "welcome to the soul society Ayame."

End Chapter 17

End The Winding Path


End file.
